Graphing Calculator - Graphing Tidbits

1. To find the y-intercept:
Hit the TRACE button. The spider will always start on the y-axis, showing the y-intercept.

2. To find the x-intercept:
Hit 2^nd TRACE button, #2 ZERO (called the "Root Key") allows you to find the x-intercept(s).

When asked for the Left Bound, move the cursor to the left of the intercept. Hitting ENTER will place a marker on the screen. For the Right Bound, move to the right of the intercept. Hit ENTER twice.

3. To find where the graphs intersect:
Hit 2^nd TRACE button, #5 INTERSECT.
When asked for the First Curve, move the cursor near the point of intersection you wish to find. Simply hit ENTER three times.

4. To find a specific value while tracing:
When tracing a graph, you may not be able to find the specific value that you desire by moving the arrow keys. To find your specific value while tracing, simply type the x-value that you are looking for and hit ENTER. The cursor will automatically move to that point and yield the y-value, if the x-value is within the viewing window. If your needed x-value is outside of the viewing window, adjust the window as to contain the needed x-value.

5. To enter multiple graphs quickly: Lists can be used to enter several equations with similar coefficients or constants. Be sure to use French curly braces and not the parentheses. For example, Y1 = x + {3, 4, 5} will plot y = x + 3, y = x + 4, and y = x + 5.